We are Angels. Where are our Halos?

Trail magic has a win win outcome. From experience, receiving trail magic is one of the most wonderful things a hiker can find on the trail. Also from experience, giving trail magic is a lot of fun. Saturday Danae and I went on a day hike with her aunt Karen. We hiked a total of four miles. All we brought with us were two backpacks full of fruit and cookies. We only saw about 6 thru hikers, but most were very grateful for the unexpected snacks. Notice I said "most". There was one guy who rejected our offer of fruit and cookies. I think the sun must of been getting to him. No hiker in their right mind will reject trail magic. However, there was another hiker on the other side of the spectrum. We said "do you want a bag of cookies and a fruit". He said "I'll take 8 bags of cookies and 3 oranges". Wow!!!   We were glad that he was able enjoy it. 

Sunday we went to church at Faith Christian Fellowship near Hageratown. Being able to go to church is another thing that we've learned to appreciate more while on the trail. We love singing along with a congregation and talking with fellow Christians. We would often listen to sermons on our iPods and Rend Collective (a worship band), but it isn't the same as being at a church. The bible says "where there are two or three gathered, there am I". Danae and I only make up two which I guess is good enough, but being in a church with hundreds is like a fail-safe. After church and lunch we went outside and scrubbed all of our stinky, dirty gear. Tent, sleeping bags, tarp, rain poncho, backpacks, everything needed de-stinkafied. After spending several hours of hard work and letting everything dry in the blazing sun, our gear smells as good as a day-hiker's armpit. (That is a good smell). 

Today, Monday, Danae's grandpa and I went out to a road crossing to grill burgers and hotdogs while Danae stayed with her grandma and baked more goods for tomorrow. The road we went to was a gravel road near a beautiful creek. There were already 2 guys sitting there taking a break when we arrived. They were pretty excited when they saw us take out a grill and two coolers. After feeding them another hiker came. After him three more came. By the end of the day we had about 8 hikers stop by and fed them a total of 16 burgers and 7 hotdogs. We also had chips, oranges, apples, doughnuts, cookies, and lemonade. We still have leftovers which means we planned well and had plenty of food. It was fun talking to the hikers. I was easily able to carry a 40 minute conversation with any of them just because we were all AT hikers and experienced the same things over the past 2 months. I saw one familiar face. We met a girl named Pockets in the smokies. She is from Switzerland. When she came she was so confused. She recognized me, and knew I was a hiker, but it just confused her when she saw me grilling and not hiking. We also asked everyone if they know Neon or Rod N Reel. Almost everyone was familiar with the names. Apparently they are about a week away from where I was at today. Hopefully we will see them tomorrow if we do trail magic in Bonsboro instead of the northern part of Maryland.

Tomorrow Danae and I will do a long day of trail magic. Grilling and then later hiking and handing out baked goods. 

Cleaning our gear. 

Trail magic with Danae's grandpa. 

Eating CiCis with Eric. 

New Appalachian Trail magnet. 

Danae, Eric, I

After enjoying tacos, mocha punch, chocolate cake, doughnuts, and time with friends and family, we had to go back on the trail. Eric decided that he wanted to join us for 3 days. In these three days we went from Front Royal VA to Harpers Ferry WV. It was fairly easy for Danae and I. 11 miles Tuesday, 18 Wendesday, and 12 Thirsday. For Eric , I can't imagine going 18 miles my second day. We didn't do 18 miles until our second week. It was also hot, humid, and rainy. Despite the poor weather we had a good time. We were all celebrating the last mile. We all went to the AT headquarters where Danae and I got our official photos. We also bought some AT souvenirs. To continue the celebration we went  to Cicis pizza and refilled on some much needed calories. 

We are celebrating Eric's manliness for doing an 18 mile day and Danae and I hiking a total of 1,013.3 miles in 2 months. And we decided that this is all we are going to hike this year. I'm glad we hiked the AT this far, but I'm also glad that it is over. Instead of hiking for 2 more months, we are going to visit family and friends while traveling up to the New England states. After leaving Harpers Ferry, we drove to Danae's grandparents house in Hagerstown. We will visit with them for a few days and go out to the trail and do some trail magic. We will continue the blog with our experience as trail angels. Today we went to walmart and bought doughnuts, hotdogs, hamburgers, ingredients for cookies and brownies, and fruit. Tomorrow we plan on hiking for a few miles while handing out cookies, brownies, and fruit. Monday we will grill burgers and hotdogs. Hopefully we will have some good stories to share along with pictures. 

Thank you everyone for the support. This has been a great experience for Danae and I. We've learned to appreciate the little things in life a lot more. Such as a bed, showers, hot food, etc. We will continue blogging about our trip this summer and our new jobs as trail angels for the next 2 months. 

Tired! Finally done with the longest state in the AT, Virginia. 

Last time hitching before going to Eric's party. 

Finally! Out of the Shenandoah.

After being sick, recovering, and going to Eric's graduation, we are finally on the trail again. My cousins Ben and Alecia let us stay at their place Sunday night after going to my other cousin's, Chrysantha, graduation party. We left Ben's house at 5:30am and he dropped us off where 33 and Skyline Drive meet. This was his "scenic route" to work. After enjoying a nap after lunch, we came across a ranger giving a tour to about 5 day hikers. She gave us candy bars in exchange for us answering some questions about our thru-hike. We truly were a tourist attraction and we got paid in Snickers. We walked 17 miles that day. 

Tuesday was a normal day in the Shenandoah. Comparatively, the Shenandoah is flat with few scenic views. These views aren't even that beautiful compared to NC, TN, and southern Virginia. I complained to Danae a lot about how boring the Shenandoah is. Anyways... Today was the day that we would reach my parents trail magic. A few weeks earlier my parents were in the Shenandoah giving trail magic to thru-hikers. They also left us some trail magic under a rock. Some encouraging letters and a $10 gift certificate to anywhere in the USA. After finding our trail magic, it started raining. We walked 1 mile to a picnic area. This is one thing I do like about the Shenandoah. They have picnic tables and pavilions everywhere. We found shelter under a pavilion. Another family was there and they offered us bread. As usually, we never reject food. We sat with them and ate bread along with the other food they offered us. grilled zucchini, grilled onion, and grilled asparagus. Yep. They were vegetarias, and I was craving a grilled burger. Even though I didn't get a burger, we were very thankful for the vitamins the veggies provides us with. We then walked to our camp. 19 miles Tuesday.

We decided to make Wednesday and easy day. We slept in and took our time in the morning. We came to a "wayside". A wayside is a little store in the Shenandoah that offers milkshakes, sandwiches, burgers, etc. We used the $10 we got the day before to buy ourselves chocolate milkshakes, a Yoohoo, and grape juice. We also had the chance to use real toilets! After taking a break at the wayside we only walked a few more miles making the total for the day 13. 

Today was an even shorter day. 10 miles!! New record. Since Eric's graduation we decided to slow down. Nothing excited happened today other than leaving the Shenandoah. It is interesting to see people who we passed weeks ago now pass us. We are still hoping to see Rod n Reel and Neon. 

Tomorrow we will only hike 11 miles to VA 55. We will hitch into Front Royal where my cousin Chrysantha will meet us. She lives a few minutes away. She is going to Eric's graduation party and has agreed to give us a ride. We will be off the trail all day Saturday and Sunday. Monday we will be back on the trail with my brother Eric. He wants to see what it is like to hike the AT for a week. We should be at the half way point by Thursday!

Mother'a day

 

April 3rd